The present invention relates to a network composed of a plurality of information appliance, and more particular, to a network enabling a user to readily recognize physical positions of the respective information appliance.
Computer networks become widespread and LAN's (Local Area Network), to which a plurality of information appliance, such as computers, printers, or the like are connected, are built in may offices. Also, domestic networks, that is, so-called home information appliance have been gradually generalized.
Further, it is expected that not only computers, printers, or the like but also all electric appliances have a communication function to be connected as so-called information household electrical appliances to networks in the future.
In such network, intercommunication is made with the use of, for example, Internet Protocol (IP). In an IP network, IP addresses allotted to respective information appliance can be used to identify individual information appliance.
Even when respective information appliance can be theoretically specified with the use of IP addresses or the like, however, it is not possible to recognize which of a plurality of information appliance corresponds to a specified information appliance and where the specified information appliance is physically present.
For example, even when it has proved that an information appliance specified by a certain IP address performs an abnormal processing, it is not easy to specify and deal with a physical position of the information appliance.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,122,268 (Patent document 1) describes, as a technique of controlling physical positions of information appliance in a network, controlling geographical, positional information of information appliance every sub-network and updating the geographical, positional information in the case where an information appliance move across sub-networks.
However, the technique described in Patent document 1 still takes no account of recognizing which of a plurality of information appliance corresponds to a specified information appliance and where the specified information appliance is physically present in a certain network.
This problem becomes conspicuous particularly in those LAN's in is offices, to which many information appliance are connected, or home networks, to which all electric appliances are expected to be connected as information household electrical appliances.